Monthly Archives: April 2013

As Roc Nation global superstar Rihanna‘s current single “Stay” (featuring Mikky Ekko) from her worldwide 2 million-selling #1 album, Unapologetic, moves into its 10th Top 10 week on the Billboard Hot 100 and she makes history for becoming the first artist ever to garner ten number one songs on Billboard’s Nielsen BDS-based Pop Songs radio airplay chart, the stage is set for the May 7 th release of the RIHANNA 777 TOURlive documentary concert ON DVD featuring 77 minutes of raw and uncut material. On May 6 th, at 8:00 p.m. (ET), the night before the release, FOX TV will premiere an edited (44 minute) version of the film.

Rihanna made history in November 2012, when she took a group of 256 international journalists (representing 82 countries) and die-hard fans, aboard a chartered Boeing 777 twinjet to 7 countries in 7 days for 7 shows, flying toward the release of her 7th album Unapologeticon November 19 th. RIHANNA 777 TOURis a chronicle of those shows that took place in Mexico City, Toronto, Stockholm, Paris, Berlin, London, and New York City.

RIHANNA 777will include performances of Unapologetic‘s hits, “Diamonds” and “Stay,” plus crowd favorites “Fresh Off the Runway,” “We Found Love,” “S&M,” and much more. As always, the production, costumes and stage design which Rihanna’s fans have come to expect, all come through in a larger-than-life video and audio experience. The tour was documented by a film crew and offers fans stellar performances of Rihanna’s greatest hits in glamorous locales. The film provides an inside look at this ambitious and often turbulent tour, from the sound of popping champagne corks on the plane to all the backstage chaos, and behind-the-scenes action of life on the road with Rihanna. RIHANNA 777 TOURis a Fenty Films production in conjunction with Love Live, Roc Nation and Gravite Creative.

RIHANNA 777 TOURis her third official long-form video concert. It follows up Loud Tour Live At The O2(released December 2012), a chronicle of her sold-out show at the legendary London venue, the climactic final stop of her 2011 world tour. Rihanna’s first long-form Blue-ray and DVD was Good Girl Gone Bad: Live(released June 2008), recorded at her triumphant UK concert at Manchester Arena in December 2007, during her “Good Girl Gone Bad” tour.

“Stay,” Rihanna’s 17th Top 5 Hot 100 single, is the explosive follow-up to her RIAA platinum “Diamonds,” a #1 gold, platinum and multi-platinum smash worldwide, and her 12th Hot 100 #1 hit. The success of “Diamonds” propelled Unapologeticto a #1 debut on the Billboard 200 Albums chart in November, the first #1 Soundscan album of Rihanna’s career.

YouTube announced today the first-ever YouTube Comedy Week,a special event from May 19 through May 25, that will showcase the best of comedy with live events, video premieres and creative collaborations from the world’s funniest people. YouTube Comedy Week will bring together the biggest names in comedy on YouTube and beyond, including Vince Vaughn,Rainn Wilson, Ryan Higa, Smosh, Sarah Silverman and Michael Cera of JASH, The Lonely Island, Seth Rogen, Tim and Eric, Nerdist, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Norm Macdonald, Craig Robinson, The Gregory Brothers, The Onion, CollegeHumor, Epic Meal Time, Rhett & Link, Epic Rap Battles of History, Funny or Die and more, to create a one of a kind experience for comedy fans.

A live, all-star comedy variety show kicks off YouTube Comedy Week with a global livestream on Sunday, May 19 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Featured comedians will do a mix of stand-up, sketches and musical performances and there will be a special pre-show at 4pm PT/7pm ET. This event will be followed by a week of dedicated programming that includes live performances, new episodes from popular YouTube comedy channels, curated top ten lists from comedy stars and more.

Tune in at youtube.com/comedyweek starting May 19 for the week-long comedy lineup, produced in conjunction with Daniel Kellison, that includes the following talent, with more to come:

Participating Talent

Above Average – Above Average is the comedy network that makes you laugh. Proud member of the Broadway Video family, the people who brought you SNL, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Portlandia, and 30 Rock.

Barely Political – This channel has comedy, song parodies and sketches, including the famous “Key of Awesome”, “Rated: Awesome,” and “Barely Guys!”

Beardyman – The two-time UK Beatbox Champion, King of Sound, Ruler of Beats and Destroyer of Dance Floors.

CollegeHumor – Original and funny videos from CollegeHumor, one of the most popular comedy sites. Enjoy CollegeHumor’s award-winning sketches, animations, music videos and web series, delivered right to your (digital) doorstep—like the paper!

Epic Meal Time – They make your dreams come true with recipes like Whiskey Syrup Bacon Pancakes…and then they eat them. You’ve never seen more calories on a plate.

Epic Rap Battles of History (ERB) – Maker Studios’ record-breaking series created by Peter Shukoff (aka Nice Peter) and Lloyd Ahlquist (aka EpicLLOYD), features comedic altercations between historical and pop culture figures in a rap music format.

Improv Everywhere – A New York City-based prank collective that causes scenes of chaos and joy with massively organized pranks in public places. Created in 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 100 missions involving tens of thousands of undercover agents.

Nerdist– Founded by comedian Chris Hardwick, the Nerdist Channel is the nexus of all things pop-culture and comedy in the Nerdverse, beaming content covering everything from comics to gaming and tech to movies and TV right to your eyeholes.

The second annual Under The Influence of Music Tour will hit the road this summer, starring two of the most dynamic and exciting performers in music, Wiz Khalifaand A$AP Rocky. The expanded, 20-city epic hip-hop trek will also feature special guests B.o.B.,Trinidad Jame$, Joey Bada$$ & Pro Era and Berner, with performances by Chevy Woodsand Smoke DZA.

The Live Nation-produced tour is set to begin on July 17 th in the San Francisco Bay Area at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View and will culminate on August 11 th at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center.

“Last year’s Under the Influence Tour was such a blast, that we decided to double the number of dates and take the tour to even more of our fans across the country,” said tour founder Wiz Khalifa. Last year’s Under the Influence Tour was a major success, making stops at 10 Live Nation amphitheatres around the country and averaging more than 17,000 tickets per show.

“I’m looking forward to getting out on the road with Wiz,” said A$AP Rocky. “We’ve talked a lot about doing this and I’m excited that it’s finally come together. This is going to be the biggest party of the summer.”

$15 Early Bird tickets will be available from the start of the tour presale through Sunday, April 28 th at 10PM local time, additional fees may apply, quantities limited.

Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning on Saturday, April 27 th at www.livenation.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Beginning today, fans can click here or visit http://on.fb.me/XUtLV6 to RSVP for early access to presale tickets available on April 25 th. Citi® cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, April 23 rd at 10AM local time through Citi’s Private Pass® Program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com. VIP Packages are available at VIPNation.com.

Live Nation mobile app users will have access to presale tickets beginning April 26 th. Mobile users can text “LNAPP” or 404040 to download the Live Nation mobile app (available for iOS and Android).

Both Wiz Khalifa and A$AP Rocky have massive live followings. Wiz has played more than 400 shows since the beginning of 2010 with major tours including “Deal or No Deal,” “Campus Consciousness,” “Rolling Papers” as well as last summer’s “UTIOM” tour. His latest album, O.N.I.F.C. debuted at Number Two on the charts and the single “Let It Go,” featuring Akon is currently making its way up the charts. Khalifa has released three albums previously including Show and Prove (2006), Deal or No Deal (2009) and Rolling Papers (2011). Khalifa’s megahit single from Rolling Papers, “Black and Yellow,” has sold over 4 Million copies to date.

With the announcement of the “Under The Influence Tour,” Wiz Khalifa is proud to announce The Influence Club – The Official Wiz Khalifa Tour Club. The Influence Club will offer you access to ticket presales and VIP packages before the general public and tons of exclusive content from EACH AND EVERY SHOW of Wiz’s upcoming tour! Simply click the ‘Influence Club” link on the wizkhalifa.com home page to get started.

A$AP Rocky announced his global arrival in a major way earlier this year when his highly anticipated debut album LONG.LIVE.A$AP entered at the Number One spot on Billboard’s Top 200, Hip-Hop Albums, R&B Albums and Digital Albums chart. The album entered the charts Top 10 in 24 countries around the world. Currently a special guest on Rihanna’s “Diamonds World Tour,” Rocky’s take-no-prisoners live set has been galvanizing audiences from coast-to-coast.

The second annual Under The Influence of Music Tour will hit the road this summer, starring two of the most dynamic and exciting performers in music, Wiz Khalifaand A$AP Rocky. The expanded, 20-city epic hip-hop trek will also feature special guests B.o.B.,Trinidad Jame$, Joey Bada$$ & Pro Era and Berner, with performances by Chevy Woodsand Smoke DZA.

The Live Nation-produced tour is set to begin on July 17 th in the San Francisco Bay Area at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View and will culminate on August 11 th at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center.

“Last year’s Under the Influence Tour was such a blast, that we decided to double the number of dates and take the tour to even more of our fans across the country,” said tour founder Wiz Khalifa. Last year’s Under the Influence Tour was a major success, making stops at 10 Live Nation amphitheatres around the country and averaging more than 17,000 tickets per show.

“I’m looking forward to getting out on the road with Wiz,” said A$AP Rocky. “We’ve talked a lot about doing this and I’m excited that it’s finally come together. This is going to be the biggest party of the summer.”

$15 Early Bird tickets will be available from the start of the tour presale through Sunday, April 28 th at 10PM local time, additional fees may apply, quantities limited.

Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning on Saturday, April 27 th at www.livenation.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Beginning today, fans can click here or visit http://on.fb.me/XUtLV6 to RSVP for early access to presale tickets available on April 25 th. Citi® cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, April 23 rd at 10AM local time through Citi’s Private Pass® Program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com. VIP Packages are available at VIPNation.com.

Live Nation mobile app users will have access to presale tickets beginning April 26 th. Mobile users can text “LNAPP” or 404040 to download the Live Nation mobile app (available for iOS and Android).

Both Wiz Khalifa and A$AP Rocky have massive live followings. Wiz has played more than 400 shows since the beginning of 2010 with major tours including “Deal or No Deal,” “Campus Consciousness,” “Rolling Papers” as well as last summer’s “UTIOM” tour. His latest album, O.N.I.F.C. debuted at Number Two on the charts and the single “Let It Go,” featuring Akon is currently making its way up the charts. Khalifa has released three albums previously including Show and Prove (2006), Deal or No Deal (2009) and Rolling Papers (2011). Khalifa’s megahit single from Rolling Papers, “Black and Yellow,” has sold over 4 Million copies to date.

With the announcement of the “Under The Influence Tour,” Wiz Khalifa is proud to announce The Influence Club – The Official Wiz Khalifa Tour Club. The Influence Club will offer you access to ticket presales and VIP packages before the general public and tons of exclusive content from EACH AND EVERY SHOW of Wiz’s upcoming tour! Simply click the ‘Influence Club” link on the wizkhalifa.com home page to get started.

A$AP Rocky announced his global arrival in a major way earlier this year when his highly anticipated debut album LONG.LIVE.A$AP entered at the Number One spot on Billboard’s Top 200, Hip-Hop Albums, R&B Albums and Digital Albums chart. The album entered the charts Top 10 in 24 countries around the world. Currently a special guest on Rihanna’s “Diamonds World Tour,” Rocky’s take-no-prisoners live set has been galvanizing audiences from coast-to-coast.

Shawn “JAY Z” Carter, Budweiser and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and Live Nation announced the line-up of the 2013 “Budweiser Made In America” music festival. Following last year’s groundbreaking inaugural concert, the two-day festival features some of today’s most diverse live performers. The blockbuster line-up was unveiled on April 10th via an exclusive Spotify playlist, http://spoti.fi/10SBoYP. Complete ticket purchasing and presale information is listed below.

As he did in 2012, JAY Z has curated an explosive roster of talent, which includes headliners Nine Inch Nails, Beyonce as well as A$ap Rocky, Nero and Haim along with more than 30 others who represent excellence, artistry and the American spirit. Performers will appear across three stages on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia’s Fairmont Park on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1.

“Last year Pearl Jam, Miike Snow, Gary Clarke Jr., Odd Future, Skrillex and Janelle Monae killed,” commented JAY Z. “This year, we have Nine Inch Nails, Beyonce, Empire of the Sun, Kendrick Lamar and deadmau5. This festival is all about experiencing great music and performances as a family. I can’t wait to get back to Benjamin Franklin Parkway, see some stage diving, walk through the crowds, drink a little and rock out again.”

“Budweiser has a decades-long history of celebrating great American music,” said Paul Chibe, Vice President of U.S Marketing at Anheuser-Busch. “A music festival is one of the most powerful ways to bring people together, so we’re thrilled that once again the incomparable JAY Z and United Way have joined us to ensure that Budweiser Made in America brings a world-class line-up of music to Philadelphia this Labor Day Weekend.”

This concert will benefit United Ways in Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and Lancaster County, PA. A primary goal of this music festival is to have a positive impact on the communities involved. As a result of this concert, the money invested into these communities will positively impact the education, income and health of the most vulnerable and most needy citizens in these regions.

As a result of last year’s Budweiser Made in America festival, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey is investing more than $350,000 into education and talent development initiatives to enhance cradle-to-career education that ensures all students graduate high school college- or career-ready and equips individuals with the job skills and training they need to secure work that provides a family-sustaining income.

The festival also enabled United Way of Lancaster County to invest an additional $100,000 in programs and services that support learning success across the education continuum.

“The debut of the Budweiser Made In America festival last year was a huge event for music fans from all over the Northeast,” said Mark Campana Co President of North American Concerts, Live Nation. “The two-day festival will once again feature an incredible and diverse roster with Beyonce, Nine Inch Nails, deadmau5 and so much more. The beautiful location of the Ben Franklin Parkway combined the wonderful spirit of Philadelphia creates a once-in-a-lifetime festival experience that no music fan can miss.”

“Once again, I am thrilled to announce that the Budweiser Made in America Festival has chosen Philadelphia as its home,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “Last year’s event, hosted on the historic and dynamic cultural corridor of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, was a huge success, significantly impacting our local economy. The City of Philadelphia is excited to welcome back JAY Z and Made in America.”

Described as “veritable music lover’s paradise over Labor Day weekend,” the 2012 “Budweiser Made In America” music festival featured 28 performers including JAY Z, Pearl Jam, D’Angelo, Afrojack, Jill Scott, Run DMC, Odd Future, Skrillex and Passion Pit. In its debut, the festival received rave reviews, with press such as the Philadelphia Inquirer noting, “There was no arguing with Made in America’s ability to put on a diverse set of musical acts…the fest…worked as a uniquely urban, impressively varied draw for a multiracial millennial generation crowd.”

Spotify is the official digital music sponsor for the Budweiser Made in America Festival and will be presenting exclusive content and producing exclusive on-site activations.

The Budweiser Made In America Festival art features a work from the acclaimed American artist, Richard Prince. The piece used is called “Untitled (The Velvets).” It was created in 2007 and is collage and acrylic on canvas.

“Budweiser Made in America” also will be available for consumers around the country to watch via live streaming. Details will be announced at a later date.

TICKET PURCHASING INFORMATION

Two-day festival passes are available for $150.00 with tickets going on sale to the general public on April 17th at Ticketmaster.com. The festival will offer a special early bird presale price of $99.50 for all tickets purchased through any presale offer listed below. Presale tickets are limited and available while supplies last.

American Express and Budweiser Facebook presales begin Wednesday, April 10th.

Use any American Express® Card to purchase tickets before the general public Wednesday, April 10th at 12 PM ET through Sunday, April 14th at 10 PM ET

Fans can visit Budweiser’s Facebook page for early access to tickets from Wednesday, April 10th at 1 PM ET through Thursday, April 11th at 1am ET

Fans can RSVP to the Made in America Facebook presale by clicking here or visiting http://bit.ly/MIAFest_RSVP for access to presale tickets beginning Monday, April 15th at 10am EST through Tuesday, April 16th at 10 PM ET.

Kendrick Lamar, the acclaimed Top Dawg Entertainment artist, is taking his gold, #1 R&B/Hip-Hopgood kid, m.A.A.d cityalbum on the road across America and around the globe with the good kid, m.A.A.d city World Tour. Hot on the heels of his 30+ performance Verge Campus Tour which kicked off March 29 and runs through mid-May, the good kid, m.A.A.d city World Tour launches May 21st and spans 16 U.S. dates from coast to coast plus 30 festivals in more than a dozen European countries and Japan. Accompanying Lamar on all of the good kid, m.A.A.d city World Tour U.S. dates will be ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock.

Lamar’s debut major label album, good kid, m.A.A.d city(Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope), released October 22, 2012, debuted at #1 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Rap Albums charts and #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Beyonce and Pepsi take the ultimate trip down memory lane, only to realize the excitement of the moment is NOW in a new global advertising campaign unveiled today. The creative collaboration, mutually developed by Beyonce and Pepsi as part of the previously announced global partnership, will debut at 9:00am EDT/2:00pm GMT in a special digital premiere on www.youtube.com/pepsi, followed by airings in more than 70 countries worldwide beginning on April 4 th. The spot, which will be seen by more than a billion people, also features “Grown Woman,” an infectious new track from Beyonce.

The global partnership is the next iteration of Pepsi’s “Live for Now” brand spirit, which encourages fans to embrace the NOW and be at the epicenter of, and helping to define, pop culture – a mindset shared by both Beyonce and Pepsi. It is also the current cornerstone of Pepsi’s breakthrough, global music strategy which supports emerging, rising and iconic stars alike by providing them with truly global reach, promotional support and innovative resources, such as “The Pepsi Opening Act” platform, and offers fans extraordinary, unforgettable music and experiences.

The spot entitled “Mirrors”, one of the first creative collaboration elements of the partnership, sees Beyonce’s most iconic personalities from her past – including “Bootylicious” Beyonce, “Sasha Fierce” and “Crazy in Love” Beyonce – go head-to-head in a dance-off in a mirrored studio. As it progresses, Beyonce recreates her most memorable moves before being inspired to create a fresh, never-before-seen routine. “Mirrors” chronicles Beyonce’s realization that all these experiences and personas helped her become who she is NOW, much like the story of a “Grown Woman” – the perfect visual embodiment of the “Live For Now” brand ethos.

“I had so much fun collaborating on this campaign with Pepsi. I got to re-live some of my favourite past characters and looks. It was the first time I saw those costumes in years and it was very emotional,” says Beyonce. “I’m proud of those moments and they all connect in some way and have helped me evolve into who I am today.”

Beyonce and Pepsi enjoy a long-standing relationship that goes back more than a decade and includes groundbreaking, international campaigns in which she starred alongside Jennifer Lopez, David Beckham, P!nk and Britney Spears. Beyonce was intimately involved in every aspect of the creative development of this campaign – from the storyline to the overall styling and selection of which ‘Beyonce’s’ best bring to life the journey she has been on, to become who she is NOW.

“There isn’t an artist that embodies what it means to “Live for Now” more than Beyonce. She is a true trendsetter and is at the epicenter of pop culture today, and we couldn’t have asked for a better creative partner to bring our shared visions to life. While this advertising is the first phase of our wide-ranging collaboration, we are also co-developing ways to engage fans around the upcoming “The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour,” and incubating a lot of other cool creative content together to entertain our fans, create indelible moments and continue to shape pop culture,” said Brad Jakeman, President, Pepsi Global Beverages Group.

“As one of the first markets to showcase the commercial, we are continuing our Super Bowl Halftime Show momentum and storyline with Beyonce in a way that only Pepsi could deliver – by infusing a pop culture icon, never before heard or seen musical content, and the excitement of NOW,” said Simon Lowden, CMO, Beverages, PepsiCo. “We are also anxious to announce some exciting consumer engagement opportunities around the “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” which will debut here in the United States in late June in Los Angeles.”

“Mirrors” was shot in New Jersey (USA), directed by Jake Nava who has collaborated with Beyonce on numerous projects including the indelible “Crazy in Love” video and filmed by Oscar award-winning cameraman Claudio Miranda. For more information visit www.pepsi.com, Beyonce.com.

UnRated Urban joins the film community and world in expressing sorrow of the death of film critic Roger Ebert. Chaz Ebert issued the following statement Thursday about the passing of her husband, Roger Ebert, a day after he celebrated 46 years as a film critic: “I am devastated by the loss of my love, Roger — my husband, my friend, my confidante and oh-so-brilliant partner of over 20 years. He fought a courageous fight. I’ve lost the love of my life and the world has lost a visionary and a creative and generous spirit who touched so many people all over the world. We had a lovely, lovely life together, more beautiful and epic than a movie. It had its highs and the lows, but was always experienced with good humor, grace and a deep abiding love for each other.

“Roger was a beloved husband, stepfather to Sonia and Jay, and grandfather to Raven, Emil, Mark and Joseph. Just yesterday he was saying how his grandchildren were “the best things in my life.” He was happy and radiating satisfaction over the outpouring of responses to his blog about his 46th year as a film critic. But he was also getting tired of his fight with cancer, and said if this takes him, he has lived a great and full life.

“We were getting ready to go home today for hospice care, when he looked at us, smiled, and passed away. No struggle, no pain, just a quiet, dignified transition. “We are touched by all the kindness and the outpouring of love we’ve received. And I want to echo what Roger said in his last blog, thank you for going on this journey with us.”

The American Film Institute also issued a statement: “Roger Ebert championed the art of the moving image,” said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale, “and by the courage of his personal example demonstrated how much movies matter.”

Ebert chaired the AFI AWARDS jury of critics, filmmakers and scholars who selected the year’s 10 best films in 2004. “He held the gavel that day with the same enthusiasm for excellence that made his voice a force in American popular culture,” said Gazzale.

Ebert wrote BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970) for director Russ Meyer and then made his mark as a national critic on television with SNEAK PREVIEWS and AT THE MOVIES, often sharing the screen with Gene Siskel or other film critics and offering a thumbs-up or down assessment of both major studio releases and smaller independent films. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1975. In recent years, he inspired the film community by continuing to review films on his blog in spite of his courageous fight against cancer.

On behalf of all of us who love the movies – thumbs up, Roger – for a life well lived and our heart-felt thanks for all the gifts you will continue to give us as time goes by,” said Gazzale.

Two-time Grammy®-winning recording artist, LL COOL J, will release his 14th studio Album, AUTHENTIC, on April 30, 2013 on 429 Records/The Savoy Label Group. The multi-platinum artist returned to the studio and kicked the volume up to create a powerful new album that came from his true passion for music and would speak to his fans. AUTHENTIC is currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com and iTunes.

AUTHENTIC features a diverse and wide array of legendary and new artists that underscores the Album’s roots of being born out of the true love for music, including Brad Paisley, Bootsy Collins, Chuck D, Charlie Wilson, Eddie Van Halen, Earth, Wind & Fire, Monica, Snoop Dogg, Seal, Travis Barker and many more. Collectively these artists have achieved tremendous success in music, including many Grammy® Awards, multi-platinum albums, American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Billboard Awards, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions and nominations, NAACP Awards, and Country Music Awards, among many other accolades.

“With AUTHENTIC, I wanted to work on a project that showed my genuine love for all music,” LL says. “Collaborating with these myriad of artists was an amazing experience and this album got me back to my roots and is for the fans across all generations who love real music too.”

Celebrating his 30th year in music, AUTHENTIC features the iconic rapper in his element. The album is anchored by LL’s expressive attitude where his sensitive side is as present as his slicing lyrical switchblades. AUTHENTIC comes to life with rock-hip-hop anthems, crazy club jams, tender tracks, personal tributes, and hard-hitting commentary addressing the current hip-hop climate.

Fans have gotten an early taste of the musically diverse and genre defying AUTHENTIC with the release of the Album tracks “We Came To Party” featuring Snoop Dogg & Fatman Scoop and “We’re The Greatest” featuring Eddie Van Halen and Travis Barker, a thunderous rock/rap anthem which includes symbolic lyrics, frenetic, over the top guitar licks played with reckless abandon and solid drum beats.

On the heels of the release of LL’s new album, LL will tour this summer all across the country in support of AUTHENTIC. As a part of performing this summer, LL featuring DJ Z-Trip will headline “The Kings Of The Mic” Tour, joined by legendary Hip-Hop artists Ice Cube, Public Enemy and De La Soul. LL will kick-off touring May 23, 2003 in Tucson, AZ and wrap-up in Los Angeles, CA on July 7, 2013. For a full list of LL’s dates and cities, and to purchase tickets, visit here.

First introduced to the world in 1984 as a Def Jam Records flagship artist, LL is the first rap artist to amass ten consecutive platinum-plus selling albums. The multi-platinum artist and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee is currently tied for third place for the most Billboard chart debuts by a rapper. For three decades, LL has continued to influence hip-hop with rap ballads that captivate generations of audiences. Since then, the veteran rapper has evolved his scope of work across entertainment appearing in numerous television and film roles, among many other projects.

AUTHENTIC was recorded in Los Angeles andis Executive Produced by LL COOL J and will be released as a joint venture by LL COOL J, Inc. and 429 Records. For more information, details and updates, visit ­­­­www.LLCOOLJ.com, Facebook.com/LLCOOLJ, Twitter.com/LLCOOLJ and Twitter.com/TeamLLGoat.